Filling machine



Jan. 1925- 1,523,607

F. w. PRAEL FILLING MACHINE Filed March 15, 1919 5 Sheets-Sheet 1TORNEYS F. W. PRAEL FILLING MACHINE Filed March 15, 1919 5 Sheets-Sheet5 ATTORNEYS 1,523,607 F. w. PRAEL FILLING MACHINE Filed March 15, 1919 fgfcz 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 j ZZZgiZ Z157",

F. -W. PRA EL FILLING MACHINE Filed March 15, 1919 5 Sheets-Sheet 5'INVENTOR Maud ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 20, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK W. PRAEL, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, ASSIGE'OR T AMERICAN CAN COM-TANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

FILLING MACHINE.

Application filed March 15, 1919. Serial No. 282,884.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. PRAEL,

a citizenof the United States, residing in Portland, in the county ofMultnomah and State of Oregon, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Fillin Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates in general to filling machines for cans and hasfor its object broadly the provision of a machine of this character ofgreatly improved and simplified construction.

The invention will hereinafter be described in connection with asanitary machine for filling cans that contain milk, it

being understood, however, that the machine has other and more generalapplication.

A principal object of this invention is the provision of simple anddirect means for operating valves in the measuring chambers so that themachine may be cheap to construct and be of certain enduring operationunlikely to require frequent adjustment, repair or replacement of theparts.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of a machineof relatively rapid operation.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentas it is better understood from the following description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating apreferred embodiment thereof.

On the drawing,

Figurejis a front elevation of a machine embodying my present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical central section through the same, a part of the topbeing broken off Fig. 3 is a top plan view with a portion of the coverleft off;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail section through the. top, parts beingbroken away; and

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section showing the feeding and deliver of thecans.

Referring to the rawings, reference character 11 indicates a base of anysuitable form or construction. A power shaft 12 is mounted in bearings13 in the base 11 and carries a power pulley 14 at one end and a gear orpinion 15 at the other. This gear meshes with and continuously drives alarger gear 16 upon a cross shaft 17 mounted in bearings 18 in theframe.

Upon the shaft 17 is a bevel pinion 19 engaging a bevel gear 20 fixedupon the lower end of a vertical main shaft 21, which shaft is mountedin an elongated bearing 22 in the top wall of the frame or table 23.This shaft 21 carries a rotating can carrying turret 24, a can guidingand holding member 25 and the reservoir 26 with its attached andattendant parts. In operation of the machines the turret, the canguiding and holding member and reservoir rotate continuously with theshaft 21.

The turret is of circular form and is provided with a plurality of canseats 27 normally resting in recesses 28 and carried upon the ends ofposts 29 which extend down through bearlngs 31 in the turret. Theseposts are adapted for engagement by a stationary cam 32 mounted upon theupper face of the table 23 of the frame. In the rotation of the turretthe can seats and cans thereon are lifted b the cam 32 into fillingposition and held t ere until the cans have received the desired contentfrom the reservoir as will be presently described, after which the seatsare lowered again into the recesses by the passage of the posts 29beyond the influence of the cam 32. The can holding and iding member 25is provided with a plurality of semi-circular recesses 33, one locatedat and in axial alinement with each can seat, these recesses serving asstops for accurately positioning the cans upon the seats when they aremoved on to the turret, as will be later explained.

The reservoir may be of any suitable form or construction and isprovided with a plurality of measuring chambers 34, one located aboveeach can seat. These measuring chambers consist, as may be best observedby viewing Fig. 4, of a body 35 held in a bushing 36 at the top, whichbushing is screwed into a suitable opening 37in the bottom 38 of thereservoir. At the bottom the body 35 has a restricted opening 39 adaptedto be closed by measuring chamber outlet valve 41. This valve is fixedupon a rod 42 which passes through it and is secured in a hub 43 of acan-lifted member 44. This member carries a sleeve 45 embracing theouter face of the body 35 and sliding over it when the can is lifted toopen the valve and when the can is lowered to close the valve, the stemor rod 42 being held in placeby a threaded plug or pin 46. When this pinis removed the entire valve mechanism may be removed. When the can islifted as indicated "on the right in Fi 4 its upper edge lifts thesleeve and throug the sleeve the valve 41 to permit the flow of thecontent out of the measuring chamber. placed from the can rises into themeasuring chamber, and when the valve 47 of the latter is opened saidair asses up into the top of the reservoir 26. he flow of content fromthe reservoir into the measuring chamber in predetermined accurateamount is controlled by measuring chamber inlet valve 47 which isdisposed within the reservoir and seated at 48 against the openingthrough the bushing 36. This valve has guiding wings 49 en ging withinthe body of the measurin chamber and is fast upon the lower end of ahollow stem 51 which has bearing in an arm 52 extending in. from nearthe top of the inner face of the reservoir and this hollow sleeve formsan upper bearing and uide for the rod 42, which is pref erably ofsufiicient length to extend through the arm 52. l I

The valves 47 are controlled by a stationary cam track 53 locateddirectly above and in line with the measuring chambers and supported byarms 54 extending in from an upper frame work 55 forming a part of themain frame of the machine. Grooved rollers 56 run on the cam track 53and are carried in hanger brackets 57 secured at 58 to the upper ends ofthe sleeves 51. It will be understood that the cams 53 and 32 are soarranged that the two valves 41 and 47 of each. measuring chamber arealternately operable, the valve 47 closin prior to the opening of thevalve 41 an not opening again until the valve 41 has closed afterdepositing a char in a can.

The cans are elivered automatically upon the can seats from a conveyor59'ta a driving sprocket upon a shaft 61 an having can pushing fin rs62. The forward or upward travel of t is conveyor approaches close tothe turret 24, the cans moving between bottom rails 63, said railsextending over onto the turret. The guide rails 64 and 65 (Figs. 1 and5) are provided to accurately gulde the cans into position.

The conveyer 59 receives power from a sprocket chain 66 taking over asprocket wheel 67 upon the shaft 61 and over another sprocketwheel 68upon the shaft 17. The

cans are thus pushed onto the turret and the guide 64 presses them intoone of the recesses 33 of the member 25. The cans are carried throu hnearly a circumference and are removed rom the turret by a guide 69which moves them out of the recess and causes them to be pushed onto areceiving turret 71 and between the guides 69 and a second or innerguide 72. This turret may At this time the air dis-- be a part of aclosing machine or its feed. The entire apparatus 1s simple and of easy,certain o eration.

The va yes of the measuring chamber are controlled by vertically movingmembers of a minimum number of arts and there is therefore littleopportumty for wear, damage or misplacement;

It is thought that the invention and many of itsatten ant advantageswill be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be aparent that various c may be made m the form, construction andarrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention or sacrificing all of its material ad- -vantages, the formhereinbefore described bging merely a preferred embodiment there- 0 letvalve, and mec anism controllable by the cans to be filled for operatingsaid outlet valves.

2; In a can-filling machine, the combination of a revoluble fillingreservoir, a lurality of measuring chambers attach to and communicatingwith said reservoir, downwardly closing inlet valves for said measuringchambers, means for o ning and closing said inlet valves at p eterminedtimes, vertically sliding sleeves on the measuring chambers and liftableby the cans to be filled, outlet valves for the measuring chambersmovable independently of the inlet valves and ha connections enteringcentrally downwar and attached to said sleeves, can seats arrangedaxially of the measuring chambers, a fixed cam for lifting the can seatsand cans thereon; and means for holding cans in axial alinement withsaid seats and sleeves.

3. In a can-filling machine, the combination of a revoluble fillingreservoir, a plurality of measuring chambers attached to andcommunicating with said reservoir, downwardly-closing inlet valves forsaid measuring chambers, means for o ning and closing said inlet valvesat pre etermined times, movable liquid-conducting means making liquid-tiht connections between the measuring cham rs and the tops of the cans,and liftable by the cans to be filled, outlet valves for themeasurinchambers movableindependently of the mlet valves assessor and havingconnections entering centrally downward and attached to saidliquid-conducting means, can seats arranged axially of the measuringchambers, a fixed cam for lifting the can seats and cans thereon, andmeans for holding cans in axial alinement with said seats andliquid-conducting means.

4. In a can-filling machine, the combination of a revoluble fillingreservoir, 2. lurality of measuring chambers attached to andcommunicating with said reservoir, downwardly closing inlet valves forsaid measuring chambers, means for opening and closing said inlet valvesat predetermined times, vertically sliding sleeves on the measuringchambers and liftable by the cans to be filled, outlet valves for themeasuring chambers movable independently of the inlet valves, connectingmeans arranged centrally under the measuring chambers and uniting thesleeves with the outlet valves, can seats arranged axially of themeasuring chambers, a fixed cam for lifting the can seats and cansthereon, and means for holding cans in axial alinement with said seatsand sleeves.

5. A can filling machine, comprising in combination a revolvingreservoir, measuring chambers therebeneath, opening and closing valvesfor said chambers, said valves having telescoping stems within thereservoir, one of said valves being operable from above the reservoirand the other from beneath.

6. A can filling machine, comprising in combination a revolvingreservoir, measuring chambers therebeneath, opening and closing valvesfor said chambers, the inlet valves closing downward at the tops of themeasuring chambers, said valves having telescoping stems within thereservoir, a cam track above for manipulating one of said valves, theother being movable by a can beneath said measuring chamber.

7. A can filling machine, comprising in combination a revolvingreservoir, measuring chambers therebeneath having downwardly closinginlet valves, separately operable outlet valves, movable independentlyoft said inlet valves, for said measuring chambers, a telescoping sleevefor each measuring chamber, means connecting said sleeve with its outletvalve, said sleeve being adapted "for engagement with a can to close thesame and to be lifted to open said valve.

8. A can filling machine, comprising in combination a revolvingreservoir, measuring chambers therebeneath, a movable can closing deviceunder each measurin chamber, separately operable inlet an outlet valveshaving downward closing movement for controlling said measuring chambersand a control for one of said valves located above and in line with saidvalve, and means for opening the other valve connected with said closingdevice.

9.A can filling machine, comprising in combination a revolvingreservoir, measuring chambers therebeneath, separately operable inletand outlet valves having downward closing movement for controlling saidmeasuring chambers, a cam control for each valve located in verticalalignment therewith, and can closing devices reciprocable on themeasuring chambers and connected with the outlet valves and movable bythe cam control of the outlet valves.

10. In a filling machine the combination of a rotary reservoir, a seriesof measuring chambers carried by and communicating with the reservoir,cut-oil valves arranged between the reservoir and measuring chambers,sleeves embracing and sliding vertically on the measuring chambers,vertically movable can seats carried with and under said sleeves, outletvalves operable separately from said cut-oil valves and connected withsaid sleeves to be moved upward and opened thereby, means forintermittently lifting each can seat to fit the mouth of the can tightlyagainst its sleeve and to lift the sleeve and the outlet valve, meansfor giving a rotary movement to all of said parts about a common center,and means whereby said movement causes the cut-ofi valves to be openedand closed successively at times after the respective closing andopening movements of the outlet valves.

11. In a can-filling machine, the combination of a revoluble reservoirprovided with measuring chambers, valves 47 closing downward at the topsof the measuring chambers, valves 41 closing downward at the bottoms ofthe measuring chambers, means operated by the revolution of thereservoir to open said valves 47 when the cans are not being filled, andmeans whereby the cans operate said valves 41 in the intervpls betweenthe operations of said valves 4 12. In a can-filling machine, the combination of a revoluble reservoir provided with measuring chambers, valves47 closing downward at the tops of the measuring chambers, valves 41closing downward at the bottoms of the measuring chambers, means at thetop of the reservoir for opening said valves 47 and means at the bottom.of the reservoir for opening said valves 41 in the intervals between theoperations of said valves 47 13. In a can-filling machine, thecombination of a revoluble reservoir rovided with measuring chambers,valves 4 closing downward at the tops of the measuring chambers, valves41 closing downward at the bottoms of the chambers, aligned in thopressnos-of t'wjo subscribing mes.

means at'the top of the reservoir for open- In ing said valves 47 andmeans at the bottom 'rf the for opening said vslvq 41 FREDEBICK.W.PBAEL. 5 in the intervals between tho operations of Witnsues: saidvalves 47; said valves 47 having means G. W. PM,

for guiding'th's valves 41. J. C..Dotrm|.

